Photos: Jeff Greenough

Breathtaking Sunrise Beach Wedding
Khristopher & Carla Williams

Khristopher and I were married on the beautiful Outerbanks of North Carolina. Of all days, we decided that are special day would be unique, yet it was very risky. Our wedding and reception were held at The Sanderling Resort & Spa - Duck, NC at 7:00 in the morning! Yes, there's no typo! We elected to have a sunrise ceremony that would be forever remembered as breathtaking and memorable! The sunrise and weather were both exceptional! Our photographer, Jeff Greenough (Christiansburg, VA and Kitty Hawk, NC) said that it was the best weather for picture taking that he has ever seen for a wedding.

My wedding dress embraced sophistication and sexiness, which my husband truly appreciated. Provided by Victorian Rose Bridals (Raleigh, NC), my dress was a Dutchess satin ivory strapless style from Watters Designer Gowns. My husband complemented my dress with an ivory colored suit by Versini. Our wedding colors, mango and azalea, were inspired by my best friend. We selected a mango and azalea colored taffeta Jim Hjelm strapless style bridesmaids dress and all accompanying wedding décor was stemmed from the bridesmaids dress selection. The groomsmen wore sandy colored suits from K&G Fashions and paisley mango colored ties that perfectly matched the bridesmaids' attire.

Our wedding flowers ( www.bigrose.com ) were a mixture of ravel and leonidas roses accented with ivory ribbon. Our beachside wedding ceremony was lined with white resin chairs polished with mango and azalea kissing balls that hung from the sides aligning the bridal aisle. The balls added a touch of color that was a great offset to the sea of white colored attire that we asked our guests to wear. The entire wedding party transitioned from flip flops worn during the ceremony to high heels and dress shoes for the reception.

To create a classic look for the reception, we had tall clear rectangle vase centerpieces filled with mango tinted roses and surrounded by several votive candles. We created table names that represented a city in which we have lived thus far ranging from San Francisco to Atlanta to Philadelphia. With the help of A Floral Essence (Raleigh, NC), mango and watermelon crushed table linens added the perfect blend of color for the morning. The surprise of the day was that Khristopher and I created, designed and published our wedding favors - our own newspaper. The newspaper was entitled The Khris & Carla Chronicle which detailed our lives from meeting at NC State to our engagement celebration. Indeed, this provided a great conversation piece and a clever way to share our life journey with our loved ones. We felt that this memento is something they could keep forever.

We also relied on the gourmet expertise of The Sanderling (Duck, NC) for our catering and cake. With soft jazz and classical music complementing the breathtaking weather and ambiance, we served a breakfast cuisine buffet that consisted of cinnamon French toast, salmon, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, assorted pastries and sparkling white grape juice that left the stomach palette very merry. We selected a yellow cake with Italian Buttercream filling that was light and perfect for a morning treat.